A Shoulder to Cry On
by Forever Wayward
Summary: Even Naruto gets that helpless feeling sometimes. Can Sasuke lend him a shoulder to cry on? Will other feelings be expressed in the process?


**Authors Note:**_ I wrote this last night, instead of writing another chapter of Bonded like I told my friends that I would. Then I spent a whole 'nother night going through it looking for mistakes and generally fixing it up a bit more. I need a beta I think. This originally came to me after hearing __**I'll Be Your Crying Shoulder**__(can't decide if it's just __**I'll be **__or the whole thing) over and over again. Just a little romantic drabble-thing because it sounded cute. Once I got to a certain point I started getting tired and rushed. Therefore there is no smut in this one either. I admit, it would probably flow better with one, but I was so tired, and it's 3:40 in the morning now and I don't want to start it. Maybe later if I get some reviews I'll type a nice, smutty scene to fill it all in. I love all the faves you guys give me, I feel happy everytime my email icon pops up on my phone to let me know, but reviews are more motivating. -nudge nudge hint hint wink-_

**DISCLAIMER: **** I still don't own Naruto. I own... um... um... this pokkit lint! -dryer comes up from the basement and takes back it's lint- TT_TT**

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><p>Something was wrong.<p>

In the many years that he had been around the blond idiot, he had aquired the talent for interpretting the strange mix of emotions that often displayed for all to see in his expressive eyes. To many, Naruto Uzumaki was as easy to read as an open book. That was true to a certain extent. Naruto had never been able to hide his feelings from anyone, hell, he often shouted them out to the whole world. There was another part of it though, a second layer to Naruto that few could see without really trying. It was like his emotions, which before had been so easy to spot, turned into some kind of code where nothing meant what it was supposed to mean. He usually only bothered to hide the bad things.

Shame, sadness, pain, loneliness. These were things Naruto never seemed to want to show to anyone. He hid them behind a mask of smiles that few ever questioned.

Sasuke knew better though. There were hints. A smile that seemed a bit too wide, distracting thoughts clouding his eyes, more careful movements. He and Naruto shared a past of loneliness. He understood the blond, more than Naruto knew.

Which brought him back to the problem-something was wrong.

* * *

><p>Naruto set his bowl down before patting his stomach contentedly. Sakura smiled from two seats down at their white-haired sensei who sat on Naruto's other side.<p>

"Thanks for lunch Kakashi-sensei," she said politely.

Kakashi looked at her from over his book, you could tell he was smiling beneath his mask, "No need to thank me, Sasuke's paying."

Sasuke's head shot up, glaring darkly at the soon-to-be ex-jonin, "Excuse me?"

"Didn't you invite us here, sensei?" Sakura questioned with a frown.

Kakashi didn't even bother turning his attention away from his book this time.

"I don't care who's paying, this ramen was amazing!" All eyes turned to the obnoxious blond who was playing with his chopsticks distractedly.

"I suppose you wouldn't mind paying then, Naruto," the raven said nonchalantly.

The chopsticks clattered down against the countertop.

Naruto looked like someone had punched him in the gut. Sasuke should have known better than to surprise someone with a full stomach like that. "I wouldn't mind what!"

The Uchiha pressed his fingers together, "You heard me moron. Pay for our lunch."

"I can't pay for this! I think the chidori's fried your brain."

"Someone has to. You ate the most anyway."

"Are you calling me fat, bastard? 'Cause this is all muscle, I don't even need my sexy jutsu to prove how hot I am, believe it!"

"Hn."

"Don't 'hn' me, asshole! You think you're so damn cool..."

"Calm down Naruto, I'm sure Kakashi-sensei was just joking, right sensei?" Sakura was dismayed to find that Kakashi had, in fact, not been joking. He had already slipped away.

* * *

><p>Sasuke frowned as he paid , successfully emptying his wallet. Damn Kakashi. Who invites his students and expects them to pay for the whole meal?<p>

Of course Kakashi wasn't really their teacher anymore. It had been about a year since Sasuke had been dragged back by a determined Naruto. In that time Team 7, including his 'replacement' Sai, had graduated beyond the squads. Sai was already an ANBU, Sakura was a medic nin, while Naruto and Sasuke were chunin. Ten years had passed since becoming genin, and things didn't feel like they had changed much. Even after all that had happened. Sasuke was fully aware that he was one lucky bastard to be allowed such normalcy after everything he did. If it wasn't for the evidence his old team had gathered against Danzo he wouldn't have even been allowed a trial. In the end, the last Uchiha was allowed everything he didn't deserve; a second chance, freedom, friends, normalcy, forgiveness...

At first he hated everyone for it. He wanted them to hate him, to punish him for all the people he hurt and crimed he commited. When Sasuke had first left, he had doubted himself, but by then he couldn't turn back. He had stepped out of the village, leaving injured nin in his wake, as soon as he had done that he had become a traitor. The only way forward was to gain the power he needed, even if it meant he no longer had a future. Yet... they accepted him back. It was like he had left for a few years and was returning from an extended vacation.

They were all idiots.

Things were better now though. Nothing and noone was there to get in the way or complicate anything. Nothing to prove and no ambitions to get in the way. Life was now a handful of petty missions, training, and plenty of 'bonding' time. As annoying as such times were, he had to admit it was kind of nice... in way...

Sakura said her goodbyes to her friends before hurrying back for another shift at the hospital. Sasuke turned, wondering whether he should just go home for the rest of the day. That became less of a possibility at the sight of a scowling Uzumaki standing in his way. Was he finally going to tell him what had been bothering him all this time?

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Naruto raised his finger, pointing at his teammate, "I challenge you to a fight, right now, let's go!"

Sasuke's face remained stoic, "No."

"What do you mean no, asshole?"

At one point Sasuke would have loved to have the chance to show up Naruto once again. Their training sessions were always intense, always providing the needed release of tension that he couldn't get rid of any other way. No one could push him like Naruto. Lately though, he found himself wanting more. Every hit landed, every bruise gained, they had stopped being enough. Sasuke knew what he wanted, but he knew that he couldn't handle it. Sasuke didn't want to commit to anything, he was happy with being alone. He had tried less monogomous relationships before, but they could never truly sate him.

Naruto, however... Sasuke found the idea quite appealing. The blond never did anything without giving it his all, and if the sex was half as intense as their sparring sessions...

"It means no, I don't want to play today, go find someone else to shout at for a while," Sasuke replied as he pushed passed Naruto.

He noticed Naruto's shoulders tense slightly as he passed, "Afraid of getting your ass kicked by the future Hokage, Uchiha? Don't want to disappoint all your fans?"

Their eyes met from over their shoulders. To anyone else Naruto was just spouting his usual crap, but there was something else this time. It was like Naruto was looking for some kind of confirmation to an unasked question.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, "Hn."

It wasn't what Naruto had wanted to hear, he knew that much, but without knowing what was wrong he couldn't offer much else.

* * *

><p>Halfway home Sasuke stopped. The sky was cloudy, promising a storm in the near future. How fitting. He wondered, what had been bothering Naruto? As far as he knew, nothing upsetting had happened. Missions had been succsessful, no one was hurt, no threat was looming on the horizon, and yet something was definitely wrong.<p>

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets. Chances were if he didn't check on the blonde, the idiot would hurt himself. What was that dumbass thinking anyway? After all the crap he spouted about trusting his friends, and he couldn't even trust anyone to tell what the hell was bothering him. It was annoying that was for sure. Didn't he see that holding it all in would eventually destroy him?

Sasuke released a silent sigh as he turned started walking in the opposite direction. He should know better than anyone how easy it was to ruin yourself by withholding emotions. Did everyone forget that Naruto had bad times like all normal people? The Uchiha supposed it was easier to forget all that when you didn't want to deal with it. Still, it was time somebody did damage control.

Sasuke didn't know how he was so certain Naruto was at the training grounds, but he was.

* * *

><p>The normally hyperactive blond was found practicing with his shurken at Training Ground 3. Sasuke stood off the side, unnanounced. Several shuriken littered the ground around the target, a few dotted around the bullseye. Observing silently, Sasuke could tell that Naruto was putting too much force into it and not focusing enough on his aim. Like he had been during lunch, the Uzumaki was on auto pilot. He was just going through the motions with a smile, an almost perfect mask. For someone so transparent, he could hide when he really wanted; as good as any Uchiha.<p>

Apparently he hadn't been as unnoticed as he originally believed because Naruto's next throw sent the ninja stars zooming in the Uchiha's direction. Sasuke's body moved automatically while his mind reeled in surprise.

"What the hell, Naru-" Sasuke had dodged to the side, but had yet to fully settle before Naruto was racing towards him, rasengan in hand. Whether Sasuke wanted to or not, he was being forced to fight.

Sasuke sidestepped at the last moment, grabbing Naruto's free arm in the process. Inertia carried Naruto the rest of the way, his rasengan blew apart the tree that had been behind Sasuke. There was no time games today, and Sasuke wasn't in the mood to have to beat the blond into submission.

The raven twisted Naruto's arm backwards and forced him to the ground, "What is your problem, moron? I told you I didn't want to spar."

"You said you were going home, so why are you here if it's not to fight?" The kyuubi vessel growled.

Sasuke held fast, "I came back to make sure you were okay."

"I'll be damn peachy if you let me up, asshole!"

"Liar, something's bothering you."

Naruto seemed caught off guard for a second, "Nothing is bothering me."

"I knew you were an idiot, but a liar too? Just spill it, something has been bothering you for a while now hasn't it? I'll let you go after you tell me."

He waited but silence was his only response. He had stopped struggling at least. Sasuke could only handle his friend writhing beneath him for so long before he had a problem of his own.

Sasuke growled before repeating firmly, "Naruto, tell me."

"Why do you care, no on else does!" The blond snarled.

"What? Don't be such a loser Naruto, of course that's not tr-"

"How would you know! You've always had their respect. People fawn over you like you're some damn diety or something. They've hated me all my life for something I had no control over. They still do, after everything I've done! I'm so tired of doing my best to gain some respect only to be looked at like a monster. They ignore me, give me dirty looks, call me names, and all I've ever done is fight to protect them."

Naruto was tense, years of supressed anger and exhaustion with the hand he had been delt hardening the edge of his voice, "Even after you came back they were quick to forgive you. I've been risking my neck for these villagers for almost ten years, and have nothing to show for it. In ten more years I'll still be here in this exact spot, risking my life for people who still don't give a damn. That may be okay for someone like you who only cares about rebuilding your clan, but I don't want to looked at like a dog who's only okay because he's on a chain. You don't give a damn what people think, and you have a million fangirls who would die just to have you notice them. I have no one. How would you ever understand that?"

Sasuke listened in shocked silence. What happened to the Naruto who could never be brought down? Had he finally snapped?

"Tch, idiot."

"What did you say!"

"I called you an idiot. Did you forget your friends? What happened to all that 'I'll show them and become Hokage' shit you're always shouting?" Sasuke moved to sit back against the destroyed tree.

Naruto sat up, looking at his clenched fists in his lap, "The council rejected my Jonin exam. They said I failed, but I know I didn't._ I know I didn't_. I knew every one of those answers, and I did better than anyone in the field exam. There is no way I could have failed."

Sasuke hadn't even been aware that Naruto had taken the exam. It explained why he was still a chunin while the others had moved on though. Sasuke, himself, was only at such a rank because he had to take the chunin exam again after returning.

"I need to be the best if I want to be Hokage, but how will that ever happen if people are still against my existance? I was so close. One step closer to Hokage, all of this... the crap I've had to put up with would be worth it... but the fucking council... dammit! It's so frustrating!" Naruto's hands clenched so tightly the blunt nails threaten to peirce the skin of his palm.

Sasuke stood and offered a hand to his friend, "Don't worry about it so much. You're brain can't handle the strain. The council won't be alive forever. You've helped a lot of people Naruto, and eventually those people will be the ones running Konoha. The Council is full of a bunch of scenile cowards, but pretty soon that will change."

Naruto considered this a moment. When he finally faced Sasuke he was smiling again, a simple grin that meant exactly what it was supposed to mean. He took hold of the Uchiha's hand and pull himself up. Sasuke found he didn't want to let go right away.

"You're right. I'll just have to try harder. I'll show them they can't keep Naruto Uzumaki down!" The blond grinned, "It's still frustrating and all but I'm not letting that stop me anymore!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. It seemed he was back to normal, but he couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or bad thing.

"So," Sasuke returned his attention to Naruto when he spoke, "Wanna spar with me yet? I feel like I can take on a whole army right now."

The raven ninja paused thoughtfully, "Actually..."

* * *

><p>Sasuke had never felt so relaxed. All the tension and frustration had disappeared. He looked over at his teammate who bore a large, content grin on his face. Sasuke was sure he had never felt so smug of the fact that he had once again, owned Naruto's ass. Of course, this time was different from their usual sparring sessions<p>

The two lay, twisted in the dark sheets of Sasuke's bed, listening to the rain patter against the window. He had been right. Sex with Naruto had been incredibly intense. Even as a virgin the damn blond was active and near insatiable.

Perhaps it was the sex, though Sasuke was certain his mind had never been so clear, but he discovered just how very important Naruto was to him. There was no doubt, that the kyuubi vessel had always been his best friend, but now he realized that Naruto had always been more. Naruto was the only one who had never given up on him, the only one who could push him to his limits, and the only one who really understood how he felt. Sasuke had plenty of admirers, but none of them could really replace Naruto; no one could.

He couldn't really say when the attraction started. Naruto was loud, annoying, and stubborn. The moron could make toast seem smart at times. He was reckless with no regard to his personal safety. Who in their right mind would love such a hyperactive, orange-wearing, ramen-obsessed screwup? He had his positive traits of course. He was the most loyal friend anyone could ask for. Naruto made people laugh and never gave up or broke his promises. He was strong, in mind and body, with a heart of gold. Not that Sasuke would ever admit it out loud, but Naruto wasn't hard on the eyes either; if you looked passed the orange clothes anyway.

Sasuke found himself wondering exactly what Naruto would look like in one of his shirts. A smile made it's way on his lips at the thought of Naruto wearing the Uchiha symbol.

What did this mean?

Sasuke had never meant this to be serious, more like a friends with benefits situation if that. Now, this feeling that had been buried away was completely uncovered and exposed. It was alien, but becoming more familiar with it didn't seem as scary as it should. The real problem was accepting this feeling without knowing if the recipient felt it too. Did Naruto even want something more? Did he feel anything beyond attraction to Sasuke? Fear started to bloom in the raven's heart. What did they just do? What if he had just screwed this up and things became awkward? Would he lose Naruto?

The thought terrified him.

Suddenly, all these feelings and emotions were coming out. Things that he had never wanted to deal with were suddenly on the forefront of his mind. Somehow, Sasuke knew they had always been there, just hidden beyond his reach. He had never been one for emotions or expressing them, and now they felt so great they would explode from his chest.

Happy that he had Naruto.

Confused by this unexplored territory of their relationship.

Regretful that he may have just lost his best friend.

Scared of where things went from here.

Unsure if he could handle whatever it was.

Hopeful for more...

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke hadn't realized that he had moved, but now he was now sitting on the edge of his bed, Naruto's voice bringing him out of his complicated thoughts. His hands fisted the sheets at his sides temporarily as he readied himself, "Naruto, what was this to you?"

The Uchiha could picture the confusion written on his partner's face. "This? You mean the sex?"

Sasuke nodded.

The bed creaked as Naruto moved and pressed himself against Sasuke's back, arms around his waist. The heat from the blond's body was relaxing but Sasuke knew he wouldn't be able to relax until he heard what he wanted to hear.

"Well, unexpected is one thing. Sex was definitely unexected. You said it was a way to release the stress without hitting each other, but I'm pretty sure I have just as many bruises and I'm just as sore as usual. It was really good. I don't have any other experiences to compare it to, but it was good... none of that is what you meant was it?"

When Sasuke didn't answer Naruto leaned forward, nuzzling one of the dark bruises he had left on Sasuke's neck, "Do you want this to be the last time? We could go back to being just friends."

"No."

"Me neither," Naruto murmured.

Sasuke tried to twist his head to look at his lover. His blond hair was still matted down with sweat and his eyes were focused solely on his. The blue eyes expressed a lot of things, but for once he couldn't sort through them. Sasuke wanted to ask him outright if Naruto loved him. At this point, he wasn't sure he could accept any less. Too many feelings had been brought to the surface. At one point he had thought that he would never feel this way, but as always, his blond moron had brought out the best of him and he'd do anything to hold onto this feeling.

"Tell me... What are we?"

"Good question... I guess... there are no words to describe what we are, Sasuke. Nothing could come as close as needed to be used to describe what we are. I've wanted something like this for a long time. I've wanted to mean something special to someone; especially you." Naruto's hold tightened and Sasuke felt that intense emotion that had taken root expand to infinite proportions.

This person, this incredibly special person loved him. Uchiha's were not made to process this much feeling.

"Naruto..."

"Hm?"

"I won't let you feel like you did earlier today ever again. Never unwanted or lonely. If you want to become Hokage, I'll help you every step of the way."

"Does this mean you're the pesident of _my _new fan club?"

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle, "Sure, but you need more than one person to have a club."

He felt Naruto shrug, "As long as you're in it I don't care who is or isn't. It's amazing though. Earlier today I wanted to beat your face in, and now we're confessing all of this stuff."

"Yeah, there's a lot of that going on today it seems," The Uchiha smirked and twisted around to push Naruto back against the bed, "I'm here now, no more holding anything back, not even if it's something bad. I'll be right here if you need me."

"Yeah, yeah, but mushy stuff aside... Round two?"

"I love you, moron."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> _I was watching Soul Eater while fixing this up, but hopefully I got all of my mistakes. Soul is one smexy scythe, I may see a small Soul Eater fic in my future... maybe. Back to the anime/manga at hand though! I hope I did the characters justice. Remember, reviews inspire me to reward people with boy on boy smex!_

_ Naruto: I think you mean man on man, cause Uzumaki Naruto is all man!_

_ Sasuke: Right... I'd correct you but man on boy would imply pedophilia _

_ WILL YOU TWO GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_

_ Naruto&Sasuke: It's your head, make us._

_ And thus... I continue down the long, winding road to insanity..._

_ Excalibur: __**FOOL!**_


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